Homme D' Esprit
by Paranoia-shoujo
Summary: Sasuke ends up in the hospital after an encounter with the Akatsuki. Naruto tries to be nice and friendly, but with those two, nothing ever goes as planned. Oneshot. SasuNaru.


**Homme d' esprit**

Disclaimer: Not mine.

"Tell me again why we're doing this, Sakura." Naruto griped for the umpteenth time since they had started their mission.

"Quit whining, Naruto. If Sasuke-kun were here, unlike you he wouldn't sound so much like a sissy right now." Sakura growled as she glared at the annoying blonde. Walking faster, she left Naruto ambling uncertainly through bright, white corridors that smelled strongly of disinfectant with their jounin sensei.

Now, you may be wondering where our cute and huggable raven-head is at the moment... Well, he's actually at the Konoha hospital, unconscious from the multiple wounds that he had received in their last mission. The mission objective was to catch a few bandits that were causing a disturbance in the forest, harassing and stealing from travelers; a B-rank mission since the bandits were powerful. The moment they set foot at the bandits' camp however, they realized that it was a trap. A trap set by the infamous Akatsuki to lure the equally infamous Kyuubi-child: Naruto, a.k.a. the dobe. Wondering why Sasuke got hurt?

He protected Naruto of course.

"Naruto." Kakashi let out a long-suffering sigh, catching the attention of his blonde pupil. "It isn't that difficult, so why are you complaining so much?" He continued tiredly, closing his one visible eye in weariness.

Naruto frowned, his normally cheery face gone with a flash as Sakura ran ahead and left the two to themselves. Sakura was anxious to see her beloved 'Sasuke-kun'.

"It's not that Kakashi-sensei. It's just..." Naruto looked away as he failed to complete his sentence.

"You're not comfortable with Sakura around." Kakashi continued, his visible eye tucking into a crescent shape as he grinned.

"..."

"You're right. I'm being too nosy. I'm just concerned about you both and..." Naruto sweatdropped and cut him off.

"You're acting _way_ too sappy, sensei", Naruto remarked, his vulpine face tilting to the side.

"..." Sweatdrop.

"Well...I guess you're right. With Sakura around, I can't..." Naruto's words dropped off.

"Do you love her that much?"

"No." He whispered as he stared at the hallway before ?" _Okay, this being a concerned responsible father-figure thing of Iruka's is even more difficult than I had initially thought. Tch, stupid teenagers and their angsty confusion!_

Silence. The almost inaudible tap-tap-tap of ninja feet.

"I've let go. It was hopeless anyway. She was too smitten with Sasuke to notice me."

"So you've given up?"

"Yes and no." The two took a turn to the left at a junction in the corridor.

"..." Sweatdrop. _Did I mention confused? That was an understatent._

"..."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Not really."

"Naruto...?" Kakashi almost whined. _It's gossip. GOSSIP! Let me have it!!!_

"..."

Before Kakashi could open his mouth to question him further, his senses picked up Sakura's approach.

Quick, hurried pitter, patter of feet rang in the almost empty corridor as Sakura ran towards the two nins who halted at her appearance.

"Sensei! Naruto! He's waking up! Sasuke's waking up...!" Kakashi cut her off, his voice hard as steel.

"Call the nurses and inform his doctor." With that the two males disappeared in sudden whirlwinds of leaves, leaving the pink-haired girl who opened and closed her mouth much like a fish.

Sakura was about to scream out in her frustration and indignation when she realized, "When did Naruto learn transportation jutsu? He's not a jounin yet."

(O.O); (O.O); (O.O); (O.O); (O.O); (O.O); (O.O); (O.O);

"SA—suke." Naruto almost shouted in excitement; that is until he remembered that Kakashi was with them.

The boy on the bed, after hearing his name, opened his eyes sleepily and turned his head towards them. He rebuked the blonde, his voice rasping in his dry throat. "Quiet, dobe."

"I'm not a dobe, bastard." Naruto's fists shook at his sides.

A raised eyebrow and clearing of throat was his answer, followed by, "You need new nicknames, dead last."

"You too, asshole."

"Scaredy-cat."

Kakashi wondered if they noticed the almost affection in their voices. He also wondered if they forgot that he was here.

"..." Naruto squirmed uncomfortably and he worried his lower lip.

"Run out of words, dobe?" Sasuke asked, his eyes watching his blonde teammate curiously.

"..." Naruto's fists clenched even more tightly, a lone, fat drop of crimson landed on the sterile white floor.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked, concerned.

"I'm sorry." Naruto whispered, his voice shaking, frowning at the thought of the other being hurt because of him. And it was because of him, no matter which way you looked at it. The Akatsuki had been after him after all, and if he had not...

"What?" Sasuke's voice cut through his thoughts.

"I said I'm sorry." Naruto flinched.

Sasuke's expression turned quizzical. "Why?"

"..." Naruto stared down at the floor and refused to answer, what to him seemed so obvious. He fidgeted and worried his lips even more.

"..."

"It was my fault", he began in a halting voice. He paused as something rose from his stomach and clogged up his throat, "had it not been for me, you wouldn't be here." His eyes burned with remorse.

There was silence.

"Idiot."

"I'm not an idiot, Uchiha." He threw a half-hearted glare in the other boy's direction.

"You are." Sasuke's voice echoed his smirk.

"Look, I'm trying to apologize here so would you kindly stop the name-calling," he gritted out as he glared at the bed-ridden (genius) shinobi.

"..." A smirk.

"..."

"Idiot."

"Argh... I give up!" Naruto threw his hands in the air in defeat.

"..." Sasuke stared at him, confused. _What now?_

"I'm leaving. See you tomorrow. Ja." And with those words, Naruto was gone.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked. He had zoned out during the last part of their conversation.

"Idiot." Was the only response he received from the boy on the bed. Sasuke sighed and stared up at the ceiling.

Grinning stupidly, Kakashi asked, "Who? You or him?"

"..."

"Think about it." Were Kakashi's last words as he too left the young Uchiha. He had to see Iruka at once, if only to inform him that Sasuke was alright. Well, there was also that nice bit of gossip about Naruto that he wanted to pass on, too.

Some time passes...

"I don't know, really. Both, I guess. Me for not telling him and him for not noticing..." Sasuke whispered, once he was sure that the nurses and Sakura had gone and he really was alone in the room. If he had looked at the tree outside his window, he would have seen a blonde shinobi who continued to watch him after Kakashi had left, and after Sakura and the others had left. He would have also seen the said nin almost drop from the tree branch he was perched on at his words and break out into a foolish grin.

"Yeah, we're both idiots." He murmured, stepping down and across the sill of the hospital room's window.

"Naruto?..." Sasuke asked. He was greatly surprised, well at least that was what Naruto had seen on the otherwise perfectly composed face. After all, one did not glare, train and fight an awful lot, and practically grow up with a person without learning to interpret perfect looking poker faces. At least that was what Naruto thought.

"Yes?" Naruto couldn't help the smug, stupid grin.

"You're here?"

"..." _And here I was actually about to acknowledge that he's a genius._

"Since when?"

Naruto turned a startled look at Sasuke before understanding what Sasuke's question actually meant. "I never left...I couldn't. I was afraid that they'll come back to kill you."

Sasuke stared at him in disbelief.

"Sasuke?"

"You weren't supposed to hear!"

"...why?"

"..."

"For a genius, you sure are stupid."

"..."

"Isn't it obvious? I followed you to Orochimaru to take you back...I believed in you. I still believe in you..."

"..."

"Can't you take a hint?" Sweatdrop.

"Can you?" Sasuke retorted.

"What?" Naruto looked a _little _lost.

Sasuke shifted on to his side to get a better look at Naruto. "More than once, I almost died for you. Yet you still didn't know."

It took a while for the words to truly sink in. And when it did, Naruto face faulted and sweatdropped. "This is stupid, Sasuke."

"Maybe." Sasuke smirked up at him.

"Sasuke?" Naruto tilted his head to the side, but did not close his eyes.

"Hn."

_Aishiteru_. "Daisuki."

Naruto frowned at him for a while, before his face lit up like a beacon. "...me too."

Et Fin

AN: I first thought of making this a NejiNaru but my chracters don't listen to me so this happened...

Naruto: Neji?

Sasuke: No.

Neji: We were together in 'Kismet', Sasuke, you can't stop it from happening.

Sasuke: Well, we motions to Naruto and himself were together in Sobriquet... and in this one to. Makes one wonder about fate, ne? throws a smirk at Neji

Neji: rolls his eyes Soo? She's still the author..ess.

Paranoia: Quite right. insert evil cackle Fear the power of the mighty authoress!!!

Naruto: sighs Please review...and don't mind Paranoia. She forgot to drink her Prozac. Bye! waves cutely at the camera

Others: Hn.

Paranoia: Ja!!!

Lain-trigger01: Yo! Naruto! gives out a fangirl squeal and glomps said blond Oh, by the way, Sasuke, you owe me one.

Sasuke: ... glares at Lain

Lain: grins I had a difficult time typing this. My fingers always type your name as 'Sauke'. Imagine, I had to keep on going back just to make it right! Be thankful it wasn't Sa-uke! cackles

Sasuke: deathglares Whatever. Idiot.

Lain: eyes narrow at Sasuke and sprouts an evil grin _Whatever? Idiot?_ Let's see who's the bigger idiot when the next chapter of GOWY comes out, Sasuke-CHAN. You forget, I'm an authoress.

Lain: grins at Naruto Hey, Naru-chan, say, didn't you tell me you missed Gaara-kun? What say you we get you and him reacquainted, huh?

Neji: See, what you get when you insult fate, Uchiha?


End file.
